Vehicle with active door zone

ABSTRACT

A vehicle includes: a frame, a rotatable door; an inhibitor comprising: an arm extending through a selective gate including: upper and lower springs respectively biasing upper and lower rollers against the arm; upper and lower stoppers configured to, upon activation, compress the upper and lower rollers against the arm, thus stopping rotation of the door; sensors, processor(s) configured to: activate and deactivate the stoppers based on sensed events.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/237,514 filed Aug. 15, 2016, which will issue as U.S. Pat. No.10,060,170 on Aug. 28, 2018, which is herein incorporated by referencein its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to automated control of vehicle doors.

BACKGROUND

Objects, such as bicycles, may collide with vehicle doors. A solution isneeded to prevent or discourage collision between bicycles and vehicledoors.

SUMMARY

A vehicle includes: a frame, a rotatable door; an inhibitor comprising:an arm extending through a selective gate including: upper and lowersprings respectively biasing upper and lower rollers against the arm;upper and lower stoppers configured to, upon activation, compress theupper and lower rollers against the arm, thus stopping rotation of thedoor; sensors, processor(s) configured to: activate and deactivate thestoppers based on sensed events.

According to some embodiments, the door is configured to rotate andpivot about the frame; wherein the inhibitor is configured to rotate andpivot about the frame; wherein the selective gate is fixed to the door.

According to some embodiments, the upper stopper comprises: (a) an upperlinear motor or solenoid, (b) an upper vertical actuator, and (c) anupper brake.

According to some embodiments, the upper vertical actuator extendsthrough a central axis of the upper spring when the upper stopper isactive.

According to some embodiments, upon activation of the upper stopper, theupper linear motor or solenoid extends the upper vertical actuatordownward, which drives the upper brake against the upper roller.

According to some embodiments, upon activation of the upper stopper, theupper stopper drives the upper brake against the upper roller until theupper stopper is deactivated.

According to some embodiments, the lower stopper comprises: (a) a lowerlinear motor or solenoid, (b) a lower vertical actuator, and (c) a lowerbrake.

A vehicle includes: a rotatable door, an inhibitor comprising: upper andlower stoppers configured to, upon activation, compress upper and lowerrollers against an arm, thus stopping rotation of the door; sensors,processor(s) configured to: activate and deactivate the stoppers basedon sensed events.

According to some embodiments, the processor(s) are configured to:determine that a calculated trajectory of a detected object intersectsthe door; activate the stoppers based on the determination.

According to some embodiments, the processor(s) are configured to:determine the intersection of the trajectory of the detected object withthe door based on a sweeping position of the door.

According to some embodiments, the sweeping position of the door isarced and includes a closed position of the door, a fully open positionof the door and intermediate positions of the door.

According to some embodiments, the processor(s) are configured to:determine that the door is active with reference to seatbelt sensor(s)or seat load sensor(s); only calculate the trajectory of the detectedobject with reference to the door when the door is determined active.

According to some embodiments, the door is a driver door and theinhibitor is a driver door inhibitor, the vehicle comprises a passengerdoor connected to a passenger door inhibitor, and the processor(s) areconfigured to: determine that the passenger door is active withreference to passenger seatbelt sensor(s) or passenger seat loadsensor(s); determine that a calculated trajectory of a detected objectintersects the passenger door, but only when the passenger door isactive; activate stoppers of the passenger door inhibitor based on thedetermination.

According to some embodiments, the processor(s) are configured to:measure load applied against the stoppers; deactivate the stoppers whenthe measured load exceeds a predetermined value a predetermined numberof times.

Disclosed is a method of stopping a rotatable door of a vehicleincluding sensors, the door and an inhibitor having: upper and lowerstoppers configured to, upon activation, compress upper and lowerrollers against an arm, thus stopping rotation of the door; the methodcomprising, via processor(s) of the vehicle: activating and deactivatingthe stoppers based on sensed events.

According to some embodiments, the method comprises: determining that acalculated trajectory of a detected object intersects a sweepingposition of the door; activating the stoppers based on thedetermination.

According to some embodiments, the sweeping position of the door isarced and includes a closed position of the door, a fully open positionof the door and intermediate positions of the door.

According to some embodiments, the method comprises: determining thatthe door is active with reference to seatbelt sensor(s) or seat loadsensor(s); only calculating the trajectory of the detected object withreference to the door when the door is determined active.

According to some embodiments, the door is a driver door and theinhibitor is a driver door inhibitor, the vehicle includes a passengerdoor connected to a passenger door inhibitor, and the method comprises:determining that the passenger door is active with reference topassenger seatbelt sensor(s) or passenger seat load sensor(s);determining that a calculated trajectory of a detected object intersectsthe passenger door, but only when the passenger door is active;activating stoppers of the passenger door inhibitor based on thedetermination.

According to some embodiments, the method comprises: measuring loadapplied against the stoppers; deactivating the stoppers when themeasured load exceeds a predetermined value a predetermined plurality oftimes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made toembodiments shown in the following drawings. The components in thedrawings are not necessarily to scale and related elements may beomitted, or in some instances proportions may have been exaggerated, soas to emphasize and clearly illustrate the novel features describedherein. In addition, system components can be variously arranged, asknown in the art. Further, in the drawings, like reference numeralsdesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle computing system.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a vehicle including the vehicle computingsystem.

FIG. 3a is a side view of a prior art inhibitor with a selective gateshown in cross section.

FIG. 3b is a side view of a new selective gate shown in partial crosssection.

FIG. 4 is a prior art schematic of the inhibitor attached to a door.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the vehicle with an open door.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

While the invention may be embodied in various forms, there are shown inthe drawings, and will hereinafter be described, some exemplary andnon-limiting embodiments, with the understanding that the presentdisclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention andis not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodimentsillustrated.

In this application, the use of the disjunctive is intended to includethe conjunctive. The use of definite or indefinite articles is notintended to indicate cardinality. In particular, a reference to “the”object or “a” and “an” object is intended to denote also one of apossible plurality of such objects. Further, the conjunction “or” may beused to convey features that are simultaneously present, as one option,and mutually exclusive alternatives as another option. In other words,the conjunction “or” should be understood to include “and/or” as oneoption and “either/or” as another option.

FIG. 1 shows a computing system 100 of an example vehicle 200. Thevehicle 200 is also referred to as a first vehicle 200. The vehicle 200includes a motor, a battery, at least one wheel driven by the motor, anda steering system configured to turn the at least one wheel about anaxis. The vehicle 200 includes a plurality of doors 400 to 403. Vehiclesare also described, for example, in U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/991,496 to Miller et al. (“Miller”), U.S. Pat. No. 8,180,547 toPrasad et al. (“Prasad”), U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/186,850 toLavoie et al. (“Lavoie”) and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/972,761to Hu et al. (“Hu”), all of which are hereby incorporated by referencein their entireties. The computing system 100 enables automatic controlof mechanical systems within the device. It also enables communicationwith external devices. The computing system 100 includes a data bus 101,one or more processors 108, volatile memory 107, non-volatile memory106, user interfaces 105, a telematics unit 104, actuators and motors103, and local sensors 102.

The data bus 101 traffics electronic signals or data between theelectronic components. The processor 108 performs operations on theelectronic signals or data to produce modified electronic signals ordata. The volatile memory 107 stores data for immediate recall by theprocessor 108. The non-volatile memory 106 stores data for recall to thevolatile memory 107 and/or the processor 108. The non-volatile memory106 includes a range of non-volatile memories including hard drives,SSDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, etc. The user interface 105 includes displays,touch-screen displays, keyboards, buttons, and other devices that enableuser interaction with the computing system. The telematics unit 104enables both wired and wireless communication with external processorsvia Bluetooth, cellular data (e.g., 3Q LTE), USB, etc. The telematicsunit 104 may be configured to broadcast signals at a certain frequency.

The actuators/motors 103 produce physical results. Examples ofactuators/motors include fuel injectors, windshield wipers, brake lightcircuits, transmissions, airbags, engines, power train motors, steering,the upper and lower stoppers 304, 305 (discussed below), etc. The localsensors 102 transmit digital readings or measurements to the processor108. Examples of suitable sensors include temperature sensors, rotationsensors, seatbelt sensors, speed sensors, cameras, lidar sensors, radarsensors, etc. It should be appreciated that the various connectedcomponents of FIG. 1 may include separate or dedicated processors andmemory. Further detail of the structure and operations of the computingsystem 100 is described, for example, in Miller and/or Prasad.

FIG. 2 generally shows and illustrates the vehicle 200, which includesthe computing system 100. Although not shown, the vehicle 200 is inoperative wireless communication with a nomadic device, such as a mobilephone. Some of the local sensors 102 are mounted on the exterior of thevehicle 200. Local sensor 102 a may be an ultrasonic sensor, a lidarsensor, a camera, a video camera, and/or a microphone, etc. Local sensor102 a may be configured to detect objects leading the vehicle 200. Localsensor 102 b may be an ultrasonic sensor, a lidar sensor, a camera, avideo camera, and/or a microphone, etc. Local sensor 102 b may beconfigured to detect objects trailing the vehicle 200 as indicated bytrailing sensing range 109 b. Left sensor 102 c and right sensor 102 dmay be configured to perform the same functions for the left and rightsides of the vehicle 200. The vehicle 200 includes a host of othersensors 102 located in the vehicle interior or on the vehicle exterior.These sensors may include any or all of the sensors disclosed in Prasad.

It should be appreciated that the vehicle 200 is configured to performthe methods and operations described below. In some cases, the vehicle200 is configured to perform these functions via computer programsstored on the volatile and/or non-volatile memories of the computingsystem 100. A processor is “configured to” perform a disclosed operationwhen the processor is in operative communication with memory storing asoftware program with code or instructions embodying the disclosedoperation. Further description of how the processor, memories, andprograms cooperate appears in Prasad. It should be appreciated that thenomadic device or an external server in operative communication with thevehicle 200 perform some or all of the methods and operations discussedbelow.

According to various embodiments, the vehicle 200 includes some or allof the features of the vehicle 100 a of Prasad. According to variousembodiments, the computing system 100 includes some or all of thefeatures of the VCCS 102 of FIG. 2 of Prasad. According to variousembodiments, the vehicle 200 is in communication with some or all of thedevices shown in FIG. 1 of Prasad, including the nomadic device 110, thecommunication tower 116, the telecom network 118, the Internet 120, andthe data processing center 122. According to various embodiments, thevehicle 200 is the vehicle 14 of Hu and the computing system 100includes some or all of the features of the trailer backup assist system10 shown in FIG. 2 of Hu.

The term “loaded vehicle,” when used in the claims, is hereby defined tomean: “a vehicle including: a motor, a plurality of wheels, a powersource, and a steering system; wherein the motor transmits torque to atleast one of the plurality of wheels, thereby driving the at least oneof the plurality of wheels; wherein the power source supplies energy tothe motor; and wherein the steering system is configured to steer atleast one of the plurality of wheels.” The term “equipped electricvehicle,” when used in the claims, is hereby defined to mean “a vehicleincluding: a battery, a plurality of wheels, a motor, a steering system;wherein the motor transmits torque to at least one of the plurality ofwheels, thereby driving the at least one of the plurality of wheels;wherein the battery is rechargeable and is configured to supply electricenergy to the motor, thereby driving the motor; and wherein the steeringsystem is configured to steer at least one of the plurality of wheels.”

Referring now to FIG. 3a , a prior art door rotation selective inhibitor(“the inhibitor”) 300 is generally shown and illustrated. The inhibitor300 is configured to (a) provide smooth rotation (i.e., opening) of thedoor, (b) enable the door to open or rotate to a plurality of predefinedresting positions, (c) prevent the door from opening or rotating by morethan a predetermined degree (i.e., stop the door at its maximum openposition).

To this end, one inhibitor 300 is mounted on each of the plurality ofdoors 400 to 403. FIG. 4 generally shows and illustrates the inhibitorbeing mounted in the driver door 400. The arrangement of FIG. 4 is priorart. A frame connector 307 of the inhibitor is fixed to a structuralbase frame of the vehicle 200 (i.e., the frame connector 307 is notfixed to the door 400). A selective gate 303 of the inhibitor 300 isfixed to an interior surface of the door 400 and thus moves with thedoor 400. An arm 302 and stop 301 of the inhibitor 300 are free-floating(i.e., are not directly fixed to the door 400 or the frame of thevehicle). The arm 302 pivots (i.e., rotates) about the frame connector307 at pivot bearing 302 d.

FIG. 3a generally shows and illustrates the prior art inhibitor 300 ingreater detail. As discussed above, the inhibitor 300 includes (a) thestop 301, (b) the arm 302, (c) the selective gate 303, (d) the frameconnector 307, and (e) a mount 306. Although not shown in FIG. 4, themount 306 fixes the selective gate 303 to an inner surface of the door400. In FIG. 4, the mount 306 would connect the selective gate 303 tothe left surface 400 a of the door 400.

With reference to FIG. 3a , and as is known in the art, the arm 302laterally slides through the selective gate 303. The selective gate 303includes an upper spring 303 a that biases an upper roller 303 bdownward against the arm 302 and a lower spring 303 c that biases alower roller 303 d upward against the arm 302.

As shown in FIG. 3a , the arm 302 includes a plurality of valleys (e.g.,first valley 302 a, second valley 302 b, and third valley 302 c). Thevalleys 302 a to 302 c represent intermediate resting positions of thedoor 400. More specifically, the valleys 302 a to 302 c enable thesprings 303 a and 303 c to occupy low energy states. The valleys 302 ato 302 c thus discourage the door 400 from further rotation andencourage the door 400 to rest at the intermediate location associatedwith the valley. For example, as the door opens, the rollers 303 b and303 d may occupy valley 302 b. Because valley 302 b is verticallythinner than the adjacent portions of the arm 302, the springs 303 a and303 c will relax when the rollers 303 b and 303 d sit in valley 302 b.Valley 302 b thus encourages the door to stop at an intermediate (i.e.,partially open and partially closed) resting position. If a user appliessufficient additional force to the door, the arm 302 will continue toslide through the selective gate 303, forcing the springs 303 a and 303c to retract and enable the rollers 303 b and 303 d to contact a newposition on the arm 302. When the frame connector 307 abuts against theselective gate 303, the door reaches its fully closed position and whenthe stop 301 abuts against the selective gate 303, the door 400 reachesits fully opened position.

FIG. 3b generally shows and illustrates details of the presentinvention. FIG. 3b is not prior art. The present invention includesaffixing upper and lower linear actuator assemblies 304 and 305 (alsocalled upper and lower linear stoppers or upper and lower stoppers) tothe selective gate 303. The linear actuator assemblies 304 and 305 areconfigured to selectively squeeze or compress the rollers 303 b and 303d against the arm 302. This compression prevents or discourages the arm302 from sliding with respect to selective gate 303 and thereby preventsor discourages the door 400 from rotating with respect to the vehicle200. Put differently, the linear actuator assemblies 304 and 305 areconfigured to stop the door 400 at its current position and prevent auser from rotating the door 400.

A use case of the invention is illustrated with reference to FIG. 5. InFIG. 5, a bicyclist 500 is in danger of colliding with the vehicle door400 in a fully open position. The present invention predicts a collisionbetween the bicyclist 500 and the door 400 and then discourages the door400 from opening via the linear actuator assemblies 304 and 305.

The upper linear actuator assembly 304 includes (a) an upper linearmotor or solenoid 304 a, (b) an upper vertical actuator 304 b, and (c)an upper braking pad 304 c. The lower linear actuator assembly 305includes (a) a lower linear motor or solenoid 305 a, (b) a lowervertical actuator 305 b, and (c) a lower braking pad 305 c.

The linear motors or solenoids 304 a, 305 a are configured to move orslide the vertical actuators 304 b, 305 b in the vertical direction.More specifically, when the upper linear motor or solenoid 304 a isactivated, the upper linear motor or solenoid 304 a slides or motivatesthe upper vertical actuator 304 b downward and holds the upper verticalactuator 304 b in a fully extended downward position. When the lowerlinear motor or solenoid 305 a is activated, the upper linear motor orsolenoid 305 a slides or motivates the lower vertical actuator 305 bupward and holds the lower vertical actuator 305 b in a fully extendeddownward position. When the linear motors or solenoids 304 a, 305 a aredeactivated, the linear motors or solenoids: (a) retract the verticalactuators 304 b, 305 b and/or (b) no longer force the vertical actuators304 b, 305 b to their fully extended positions (i.e., permit thevertical actuators 304 b, 305 b to at least partially retract underforce of gravity and/or under opposing force of the rollers 303 b, 303d.

The brakes 304 c, 305 c are configured to compress against the rollers303 b, 303 d and thus prevent or discourage the upper roller 303 b frommoving upward under force of the arm 302 and the lower roller 303 d frommoving downward under force of the arm 302. The brakes 304 c, 305 c maybe made of rubber and are affixed to the tips of the actuators 304 b,305 b.

According to some embodiments, the vertical actuators 304 b, 305 b andthe brakes 304 c, 305 c are accommodated in central voids of the upperand lower springs 303 a, 303 c. The upper spring 303 a thus wraps aroundthe upper vertical actuator 304 b and the upper brake 304 c when theupper vertical actuator 304 b is in the fully extended position.Similarly, the lower spring 303 c wraps around the lower verticalactuator 305 b and the lower brake 305 c when the lower verticalactuator 305 b is in the fully extended position.

Returning to FIG. 3a , the upper and lower linear actuator assemblies304, 305, when active, are configured to selectively arrest horizontaltranslation of the arm 302 through the selective gate 303. When theupper and lower linear actuator assemblies 304, 305 are inactive, theinhibitor 300 functions normally and as previously described.

FIG. 6 generally shows and illustrates a method 600 of controlling theactuator assemblies 304 and 305. The method 600 is configured to (a)predict a door opening event, (b) predict an expected collision with thedoor, and (c) activate the actuator assemblies 304, 305 based on (a) and(b).

At block 602, the vehicle 200 detects a stopping event. The vehicle 200may detect such an event by (a) determining that the vehicle 200 hasbeen placed in park and/or (b) determining that the vehicle 200 hasreached a velocity of zero.

At block 604, the vehicle 200 predicts opening of one or more of thedoors 400 to 403. Doors predicted to have plausible probability ofopening are called active doors.

The vehicle 200 predicts opening of the driver door 400 based on one ormore of the following events: (a) the vehicle being placed in park, (b)the driver seatbelt transitioning from engaged to disengaged within apredetermined time period prior to the vehicle being placed in park, (c)a weight sensor in the driver seat reading a reduced amount of weightcompared with a steady state weight determined when the vehicle 200 wasin motion.

The vehicle 200 predicts opening of one of the front passenger door 403based on one or more of the following events: (a) the vehicle 200reaching a velocity of zero, (b) the front passenger seatbelttransitioning from engaged to disengaged within a predetermined timeperiod prior to the vehicle reaching a velocity of zero, (c) a weightsensor in the front passenger seat reading a reduced amount of weightcompared with a steady state weight determined when the vehicle 200 wasin motion.

The vehicle 200 predicts opening of the rear left passenger door 401based on one or more of the following events: (a) the vehicle 200reaching a velocity of zero, (b) any of the rear seat seatbeltstransitioning from engaged to disengaged within a predetermined timeperiod prior to the vehicle reaching a velocity of zero, (c) a weightsensor in the any of the rear seats reading a reduced amount of weightcompared with a steady state weight determined when the vehicle 200 wasin motion.

The vehicle 200 predicts opening of the rear right passenger door 402based on one or more of the following events: (a) the vehicle 200reaching a velocity of zero, (b) any of the rear seat seatbeltstransitioning from engaged to disengaged within a predetermined timeperiod prior to the vehicle reaching a velocity of zero, (c) a weightsensor in the any of the rear seats reading a reduced amount of weightcompared with a steady state weight determined when the vehicle 200 wasin motion.

At block 606, the vehicle 200 scans or monitors the environment via thelocal vehicle sensors 102 a to 102 d. At block 608, the vehicle 200applies readings from the local vehicle sensors 102 a to 102 d to detectobjects surrounding the vehicle. At block 610, the vehicle 200calculates dimensions, trajectories, positions, velocities, and/oraccelerations of the detected objects. At block 612, the vehicle 200filters the objects based on one or more of the calculated dimensions,trajectories with respect to sweeping positions of the active doors(i.e., the doors that have a plausible probability of opening),positions, velocities, and/or accelerations. More specifically, thevehicle 200 may: ignore objects with dimensions falling below apredetermined dimensional threshold (e.g., having a low surface area);ignore objects having a trajectory not intersecting the sweepingpositions of the active doors; ignore objects that are at least apredetermined distance away from each of the sweeping positions of theactive doors; ignore objects having velocities falling below apredetermined velocity threshold; ignore objects having accelerationsfalling below a predetermined acceleration threshold, the predeterminedacceleration threshold being a function of (a) current distance of theobject from the sweeping positions of the active door that intersectsthe trajectory of the object, and (b) current velocity of the object.

It should be appreciated that sweeping positions of the doors are thearc-shaped full range of possible door positions. For example, thesweeping position of the driver door 400 includes (a) the position ofthe door 400 when fully closed, (b) the position of the door 400 whenfully open, and (c) all intermediate positions of the door. It shouldthus be appreciated that the sweeping position of the driver door 400 isarc-shaped with one end of the arc corresponding to the door being fullyclosed and the opposing end of the arc corresponding to the door beingfully open. It should further be appreciated that the vehicle 200 maycalculate intersections between objects and doors assuming that non-doorcomponents are complete barriers (e.g., if a bicycle is on the rightside of the vehicle 200 and the trajectory of a bicycle intersects door400 on the left side of the vehicle 200, then the vehicle 200 willdisregard the intersect between door 400 and the bicycle).

At block 614, the vehicle 200 calculates a time-to-collision (TTC)between the non-filtered objects and the sweeping positions of theactive doors that intersect the trajectories of the non-filtered objects(e.g., if the trajectory of a bicycle intersects door 401 and door 401is active, then the vehicle 200 finds TTC between sweeping position ofdoor 401 and the bicycle; if the trajectory of the bicycle intersectsdoors 400 and 401 and doors 400 and 401 are active, then the vehicle 200finds TTC between each of sweeping positions of doors 400 and 401 andthe bicycle. TTC is based on (a) velocity of the object, (b) position ofthe object with respect to the sweeping position of the door, (c)acceleration of the object, and/or (d) heading of the object withrespect to the sweeping position of the door. Calculation of TTC isdescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/183,355 to Bidner,which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

If the TTC is above a predetermined threshold value, then the vehicle200 returns to block 606, causing the method 600 to cycle or repeat. Thevehicle 200 may cycle the method 600 for a predetermined amount ofcycling time. The vehicle 200 may cycle the method 600 until (a) atleast one door has been opened, (b) none of the seat weight sensors havemeasured a weight consistent with a human passenger for at least apredetermined amount of time, and/or (c) values returned by the seatweight sensors have remained constant (within a predetermined degreee.g., ±5%) for at least a predetermined amount of time.

If the TTC falls below a predetermined threshold time value, then thevehicle 200 proceeds to block 616 and takes one or more actions. Theactions may include (a) activating the linear actuator assemblies 304,305 of the inhibitors corresponding to the active doors associated withthe TTCs below the predetermined threshold time value; (b) flashing alight, siren, or playing an audio message to deter the external object;(c) displaying or sounding an internal warning in the vehicle.Thereafter, the vehicle 200 returns to block 606 and repeats the cycle.

While repeating the cycle, the vehicle 200 may continue to apply theabove actions until returning to the next iteration of block 616. If thenext iteration of block 616 does not include the same actions, then thevehicle 200 terminates the currently active actions that are missingfrom the new iteration of block 616.

According to some embodiments, the vehicle 200 may automaticallydeactivate the linear actuator assemblies 304, 305 upon (a) a usercommand via the user interface 105, (b) detecting repeated attempts(e.g., at least two attempts or at least three attempts) to open thedoor corresponding to said linear actuator assemblies 304, 305. Thevehicle 200 may determine condition (b) by recording, through suitablesensors, an amount of force applied against one or both the verticalactuators 304 b, 305 b. If the force exceeds a predetermined force atleast a predetermined number of times (e.g., one time or three times),then the vehicle 200 may automatically deactivate said linear actuatorassemblies 304, 305.

According to some embodiments, the vehicle may determine condition (b)by sensing or recording an angular position of the door handle. If thevehicle detects that the door handle has rotated from its restingposition (i.e., flush or parallel with the vehicle door) thepredetermined number of times, then the vehicle may automaticallydeactivate said linear actuator assemblies 304, 305.

1. A method of controlling a vehicle door, the method comprising: inresponse to predicting that the vehicle door will open, detecting, withsensors, an object approaching a vehicle; determining whether to ignorethe object; when a determination is made not to ignore the object,determining whether a trajectory of the object will intersect a sweepingarc of the door; in response to determining that the trajectory of theobject will intersect the sweeping arc of the door; preventing movementof the vehicle door, wherein preventing the movement of the vehicle doorincludes compressing upper and lower rollers of the vehicle door againstan arm of the vehicle door that has a plurality of valleys.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein determining whether to ignore the objectincludes ignoring the object when a surface area of the object is belowa dimensional threshold.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein determiningwhether to ignore the object includes ignoring the object whenacceleration of the object is below an acceleration threshold.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, wherein the acceleration threshold is based on (a)current distance of the object from the sweeping arc of the door thatintersects the trajectory of the object, and (b) current velocity of theobject.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sweeping arc of the doorincludes a closed position of the door, a fully open position of thedoor and intermediate position of the door.
 6. The method of claim 5,wherein preventing movement of the vehicle door includes compressingupper and lower rollers into one of the plurality of valleys thatcorrespond to the closed position of the intermediate position.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein predicting that the vehicle door will openincludes monitoring a seatbelt sensor associated with a seatcorresponding to the vehicle door.
 8. The method of claim 7, includingpredicting that the vehicle door will open when the seatbelt sensorassociated with the seat corresponding to the vehicle door transitionsfrom engaged to disengaged within a threshold time period after thevehicle is placed in park.
 9. The method of claim 1, includingpredicting that the vehicle door will open when a seat belt sensorassociated with a seat corresponding to the vehicle door transitionsfrom engaged to disengaged within a threshold time period prior to thevehicle reaching a velocity of zero.
 10. The method of claim 1,including deactivating the upper and lower rollers in response toreceiving a user command via a user interface.
 11. The method of claim1, including: detecting attempts to open the vehicle door while theupper and lower rollers are activated; and deactivating the deactivatingthe upper and lower rollers in response to a threshold number ofattempts to open the vehicle door.